Jerry Evans Jr.: Wolf Pack basketball Class of 2009 recruit

Jul. 8, 2009

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The file on Jerry Evans Jr.

Position: Shooting guard/small forwardHeight/weight: 6-7, 180Previous school: Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif.Last year's stats: 15.3 ppg, 7.4 rpgCoach Carter on Evans: “What we liked about Jerry is that he has good size at 6-6, 6-7 and he can really put the ball of the floor and score. He definitely fits our mold of being a big guard. He’s versatile and can play and defend multiple positions.”

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Editor's note: Here is the report from May, when Jerry Evans Jr. committed to play for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

Nevada basketball coach David Carter wants to play a more up-tempo game and Wednesday afternoon he added a couple of athletic guards to his roster who will help the cause.

Jerry Evans Jr., a 6-foot-7, 180-pound slasher, and Malik Story, a 6-foot-5, 222-pound shooter, will both join the Wolf Pack.

Evans, from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif., will be eligible to play next season. Story, a transfer who played at Indiana University last season, will sit out a year then have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Evans, a lanky lefty who has drawn comparisons to ex-UNLV star Stacey Augmon, averaged 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on 54.6 percent shooting last year.

"What we liked about Jerry is that he has good size at 6-6, 6-7 and he can really put the ball of the floor and score," Carter said. "He definitely fits our mold of being a big guard. He's versatile and can play and defend multiple positions."

Story averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game as a true freshman at Indiana last season. He appeared in 31 games, with three starts, and averaged 17.9 minutes per game.

Coming out of high school — the Los Angeles native led Artesia High to two California Interscholastic Federation titles — Story was lauded as one of the best shooters in the nation.

"Malik is really a good shooter," Carter said. "The biggest thing about him is that he can stretch the floor with his shooting. He can make you guard the 3-point line. He can also play multiple positions. He can play the 1, 2 or 3, but really he's a shooter."

Evans and Story join a five-person recruiting class that also includes 6-9 forward Devonte Elliott, from Paramount, Calif.; 6-9 forward Marko Cukic, originally from Serbia; and 6-6 guard Patrick Nyeko, a London native who played in Seattle the past two seasons.

Carter said he wanted to add some depth to the backcourt with guards Brandon Fields, Joey Shaw and Ray Kraemer all being seniors next season. The first-year coach did so when he landed Evans, Story and Nyeko.

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"I thought it was important to bring in some players who can replace those seniors," Carter said. "With these three guards, two being freshman and Malik being eligible the following season, I think we have done that."

Nevada now has 12 of its 13 scholarships accounted for next season, which means the team could still land a player. Carter said he will continue to look for a frontcourt player throughout the summer.

With Luke Babbitt shifting from power forward to small forward, Nevada's power forward/center rotation will consist of sophomore Dario Hunt along with Cukic and Elliott.

"We're definitely going to be young at our 4 and 5 spots," Carter said. "With Marko, he's a year removed from high school so he should be able to step in right away and help immediately. We also have Dario and Devonte, and if we need to play Luke at the 4, we can do that, too. So, I feel pretty comfortable with the frontcourt."